A single individual was killed and 17 others injured, some critically, when a vehicle plowed into a crowd near Berlin’s Pride festivities on Saturday night, prompting a search for those responsible, according to authorities. Officials state the incident occurred around 10 PM in the Tiergarten park, close to the Brandenburg Gate, where the vehicle hit multiple people before stopping after colliding with a tree. The suspect has been identified, and efforts are underway to apprehend him.
Eight of the injured are in serious condition, with three in life-threatening danger, a fire department spokesperson reports. The vehicle involved is described as a white car, possibly a sedan, minivan, or minibus. Witnesses mentioned it might have been a van, with reports indicating a man exited the vehicle and fled on foot.
Thousands gathered peacefully in Berlin for the annual Christopher Street Day parade, one of Europe’s largest LGBTQ+ celebrations, before the attack abruptly ended the event. Emergency services responded in force to the scene.
Julian Miethig, who attended, expressed his shock, saying, “This is one of the worst days for the LGBTQ community, and I never thought I’d experience something like this. I’m devastated.”
Since its inception in West Berlin in 1979, CSD has grown from a modest demonstration into a prominent cultural and political event. It features a parade along with various political, cultural, and social activities across the city.
Germany has faced a troubling pattern of vehicular attacks targeting crowds in recent years. In May, a man with mental health issues drove into pedestrians in Leipzig, resulting in two deaths and serious injuries to three others. Last year, a man drove into a crowd in Mannheim, killing two, and another attack in Munich involved a suspect linked to an earlier incident, leaving two dead and over 40 injured, including children. In December 2024, a man killed several people at a Christmas market in Magdeburg; the suspect was a Saudi psychiatrist with a history of anti-Islamic rhetoric, residing in Germany for nearly twenty years.
